Down Bound Train

The song Down Bound Train was inspired by Chuck Berry's fire and brimstone religious upbringing. both his parents were staunch Baptists, and sang in the Antioch Church Choir, which rehearsed at his home.

It is a song about redemption and a warning against alcohol abuse. A man who has too much to drink falls asleep on a bar room floor and has a vivid dream about riding a train, which is driven by the Devil himself. When the man wakes up he renounces the demon drink.

"Down Bound Train" was released in December 1955 as the B Side of "No Money Down." The title is sometimes given as "The Down Bound Train" or "Downbound Train."

It's one of the first rock records to employ fade-in and fade-out.